Toothbrush cup



TOOTHBRUSH CUP Filed Feb. 26, 1962 ice 3,088,645 TOGTHBRUSH CUP Mary Mechaneck, 7'05 Dunne Cour-t, Brooklyn 35, FLY. Filed Feb. 26, 1962, er. No. 175,635 2 Claims. (Cl. 229-3.1)

This invention relates to a cup for protecting a toothbrush disposed in a conventional toothbrush holder and more particularly to a toothbrush cup which is provided with apertured walls, the apertures of which may be closed as desired.

The toothbrushes disposed in the conventional toothbrush holder which has an aperture therein for a water glass are exposed to the atmosphere and thus to dust and bacteria floating in the air. Moreover, where many brushes are disposed suspendingly on a toothbrush holder the adjacent bristles may touch one another causing transfer of mouth bacteria from one brush to another. Furthermore, where there are many brushes disposed upon a single brush holder their identity becomes confused so that a member of the family may inadvertently pick up someone elses toothbrush with which to brush his teeth.

This invention provides a cup which is also used as a cover cap for the toothbrush. The size of the cup is but slightly larger than the toothbrush.

As a cover cup it may be personalized as by having the users name thereon or otherwise.

The cup is preferably made of plastic but it may be made of other suitable material. The plastic may be flexible plastic such as polyethylene or otherwise and it may be colored, transparent, translucent or opaque.

As a cover cup the slots of the slotted sleeve are brought into register with the corresponding slots of the larger container. The sleeve and the container are cylindrical and preferably the sleeve is captively retained on the exterior of the container. The sleeve is manually rotatively secured to the container in a frictional relationship. Preferably a plurality of suitable elongated slots are disposed in the container cylindrical wall and a like number of analogous slots are disposed in the sleeve Wall and adapted to register with the slots of the container. The distance between slots in both the container and the sleeve is such as to permit closing of the slots of the container by the corresponding slots on the sleeve thereby producing a liquid retaining cup.

Clearly, the device of this invention functions as a liquid retaining cup in its non-register position of the slots and it also functions as a dust protective cap permitting aeration and drying of the toothbrush covered when the slots are in register.

This invention will become more readily apparent upon reading the following descriptive disclosure of a plurality of embodiments shown in the accompanying drawing and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of the toothbrush cup showing the cup disposed over a toothbrush, said brush being disposed through an aperture of a conventional stand; in this position the slots are in register to permit flow through of air, the cup functioning as a protective and identifying cap,

FIG. 2 is a section view taken along line 2--2 of FIG. 1 and showing the manner of disposing the cup over a stored toothbrush,

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of one form of this invention showing a slotted cylindrical container and its coacting tubular cylindrical slotted sleeve, and

FIG. 4 is an exploded View of a modification of the invention wherein the container portion is a tubular slotted sleeve and the sleeve is a slotted cylindrical cup having a solid base portion.

Turning to the drawing, and particularly to FIGS. 1 to 3, a suitably small cylindrical container 10 is provided with a plurality of suitable longitudinal slots 11 disposed circumferentially in the cylinder Wall and in suitable space relationship to a base 12 having a retaining rim 13. Preferably the container 10 is of integral or one piece molded construction.

Also preferably the container 10 is provided With an integral suitable annular bead 14 in order to retain a coacting sleeve in captive relationship on the container.

The sleeve 15 is of slightly larger diameter than the diameter of the container 10' and is provided with a plurality of slots 11 preferably of a size to effect exact register with slots 11 of the container thereby forming a plurality of open windows for aeration purposes when the cup is used as a cap.

In using the device of FIGS. 1 to 3, the slots are brought into register and the cap is disposed over a tooth-brush 16 disposed in a toothbrush holder 17. Obviously where a toothbrush holder has, for example, six toothbrushes thereon, six cover caps are used.

After removing the cap fro-m a covered toothbrush, the cap is converted into a liquid retaining cup by suitable rotation of the sleeve. After brushing the teeth the cup is used to rinse out the mouth. Thus the cup is a sanitary device since each cup is used only by the owner thereof.

The modification of FIG. 4 shows a cup in which the sleeve is a tubular cylinder. In this modification a sleeve 20 is made preferably of suitable tubular plastic but it may be of glass, metal or other material. The sleeve 20 is provided with a suitable groove 21 located suitably between its top edge and its bottom edge. A plurality of slots 11 are disposed in the sleeve 20 in a circumferential manner as in the case of container 10. A cup element 22 preferably of plastic is provided with suitably high cylindrical wall 23 and a plurality of suitable slots 11 disposed in like number as the slots 11 on the sleeve 20. The interior diameter of cup 22 is slightly larger than the exterior diameter of the sleeve 20.

Preferably the cup is provided with an inner bead 24 to engage the groove 21. However a dental cup having no groove 21 and no bead 24 is operable when frictionally secured to one another. The cup 22. is also provided with a base 25 and a rim 26. Preferably the cup 22 is of one piece molded construction.

This invention has been described by means of a plurality of embodiments but it is not to be limited thereto.

I claim:

1. An expansible plastic cylindrical two piece dental cup, open at one end and closed at the other, said cup having a depth greater than its diameter, said cup comprising inner and outer relatively rotatable sleeve portions, one of the sleeve portions being longer than the other, said sleeve portions having a plurality of registering openings of uniform width extending axially of the cup, the space between the openings being greater than the width of the openings so that the sleeves may be rotated to bring the openings completely out of registry.

2. The cup of claim 1 wherein the sleeve portion being the longer sleeve is closed at one end and having the shorter sleeve and the openings adjacent the open end.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 749,671 Hall Jan. 12, 1904 1,137,642 Lingner Apr. 27, 1915 2,214,437 Punte et al Sept. 10, 1940 2,328,246 Albion Aug. 31, 194 

1. AN EXPANSIBLE PLASTIC CYLINDRICAL TWO PIECE DENTAL CUP, OPEN AT ONE END AND CLOSED AT THE OTHER, SAID CUP HAVING A DEPTH GREATER THAN ITS DIAMETER, SAID CUP COMPRISING INNER AND OUTER RELATIVELY ROTATABLE SLEEVE PORTIONS, ONE OF THE SLEEVE PORTIONS BEING LONGER THAN THE OTHER, SAID SLEEVE PORTIONS HAVING A PLURALITY OF REGISTERING OPENINGS OF UNIFORM WIDTH EXTENDING AXIALLY OF THE CUP, THE SPACE BETWEEN THE OPENINGS BEING GREATER THAN THE WIDTH OF THE OPENINGS SO THAT THE SLEEVES MAY BE ROTATED TO BRING THE OPENINGS COMPLETELY OUT OF REGISTRY. 